Ridley Scott Says ‘Alien’ Franchise “Needs Some Help” After ‘Romulus’ Was Just “OK”: “I’ve Gone Back In”

Ridley Scott’s recent comments about returning to ‘Alien’ franchise had him confirming work on an “Alien: Covenant” sequel revolving around Michael Fassbender’s David.

Now, in a new interview with AlloCiné, Scott is suggesting something more significant than a simple return to the series: the filmmaker appears to believe the franchise has drifted off course.

Speaking with the French outlet, Scott revealed that he has “gone back in” to the next Alien movie and is currently rewriting the screenplay — which was originally supposed to be a sequel to 2024’s “Alien: Romulus,” but has now seemingly morphed into something different. He also offered a blunt assessment of ‘Romulus,’ which he described as “OK” before adding that the franchise “needs some help.”

Actually, I suddenly went back and got involved. The one that just came out [Alien: Romulus] was OK. I think it needs some help. So, I’ve gone back in.

That wording is particularly .. telling. Scott isn’t simply talking about developing another Alien sequel; he seems to be positioning himself as someone who needs to help course-correct the franchise. And his plans appear to involve returning directly to the storyline he left unfinished with “Alien: Covenant.”

I’ve already got a footprint for the next Alien. We did “Prometheus,” and then “Alien: Covenant.” So, I’m picking up where we left off in ‘Covenant’ with Michael Fassbender, who now thinks he’s Ozymandias.

That would presumably bring Fassbender back as the synthetic Walter—or, depending on where Scott takes the story, the increasingly unhinged David masquerading as Walter. “Alien: Covenant” ended with David taking control of the Covenant and its human cargo, which left the character’s story on a major cliffhanger.

A month ago, I reported that Romulus 2’ had been indefinitely shelved. The director search had collapsed after Fede Álvarez exited the project during pre-production — they were weeks away from shooting. Michael Sarnoski was subsequently considered but ultimately passed due to his “Death Stranding” commitment, while “Evil Dead Burn” director Sébastien Vaniček might now be involved.

According to my source, Scott’s hands-on involvement reportedly becoming a major obstacle. Álvarez had completed a final draft and was planning to bring back Fassbender’s David, with the actor allegedly close to signing on, but Scott reportedly interfered, refusing to allow the character he created to appear in another director’s film.

With Álvarez now gone, Scott has clearly taken control of the ship again. He’s apparently not happy with how ‘Romulus’ turned out—and who knows, he may even end up taking over as director himself.